Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-06-28

which Ayesha seemed to be gathering up hei
strength for tho fiery trial, while we citing Il
each other and waited in utter silence.
At last, from far, far away came the frs
murmur of sound, that grew and grew till I
began to crash and below in the distance. A.
she heard 1t, Ayesha swiftly threw Off hel
gnuzy wrapping, loosened her golden snake
from her kirtle, and then, shaking her lovely
knir about her like q garment, beneath ii
cover slipped tho kirtle off, and replaced the
snaky belt around hcr and outside tho masses
of falling hair. There she stood before us NJ
Eve might have stood before Adam, clad in
! nothing but her abundant locks, held round
by her golden band; and no words of mine
can tell how sweet she looked-and yet how
divine. Nearer and nearer came the thunder
wheels Of FIRE, and as they cnmo she pushed
one ivory arm through the dark masses Of
her hair and flung it round Leo's neck.
"Oh, my love, my love-" she murmured
"wilt thou ever know how have loved theor
and she kissed him on tho forehead and then
went and stood in tho pathway of the flame
Of life.
On came the crashing, rolling noise, and
tho sound thereof was as though forest were
being swept flat by n mighty wind and then
tossed up by 1t like SO much grass and thun'
dered down mountain side. Nearer and
nearer it came; now flashes Of light, forerun-
ners of the revolving pillar Of flame, were
passing like arrows through the rosy air; and
now the edge of the pillar itself appeared.
Ayesha turned toward 1t and stretched out
her arms to greet it. On it came. very slow
ly, and Tapped her round with flame / saw
tho fire run up her form. l saw her lift 1t
with both her hands as though it were water
and pour 1t over her head. / even saw her
open her mouth and draw it down into her
lungs, and dread and wonderful sight 1t
was
Then shc paused and stretched out her arms
and stood there quite still, with heavenly
smile upon her face, as though she were the
very spirit of the flame.
The mysterious fire played up and down
her dark and rolling locks, twining and twist
ing itself through and around them like
threads of golden lace; it CLEANED upon her
ivory breast and shoulder, from which tho
hair had slipped aside; 1t slid along her pill
Jared throat and delicate features and seemed
to find home in the glorious eyes that shone
and shonc moro brightly even than the spirit
ual essence. 1919
Oh, how beautiful she looked there in the
flamoi No angel out of heaven could have
worn a greater lovelhess. Even now my
heart faints before the rocollections Of it us
she stood and smiled at our awed faces, and
would give half my remaining time upon
this earth to sec her once like that again.
But suddenly-moro suddenly than / can
describe-a kind OF change came over her
face, n change which could not define or ex-
plain on paper, but none the less a change.
The smile vanished and in its place there
came a dry, hard look; the rounded face
seemed to grow pincned, as though some
great anxiety were leaving its impress upon
it. The glorious eyes, too, lost their light,
and, as thought, the form Its perfect shape
and ercctness.
rubbed my eyes, thinking that was the
victim Of some hallucination, or that the re-
fraction from the intense light produced an
optical delusion; and, as did SO, the flaming
pillar slowly twisted and Numbered of
whithersoever it passes to in tho bowels of tho
great earth, leaving Ayesha standing where
II had been
As soon asst was gone she stepped forward
to Leo's side-it seemed TO mo that there was
no spring in her step-and stretched out her
hand to lay It on his shoulder. gazed at tho
arm. Where was its wonderful roundness
and b.autyf 1t was getting thin and angular
And her face-by heavenl-her face was
growing old before my eyosl suppose that
Leo saw 1t also; certainly he recoiled q step
or two.
"What is it, my Knllilratesr she said, and
her yoicc-whnt was tho matter with those
deep and thrilling hottest They were quito
high and cracked.
"Why, what is it-what is itp she said,
confusedy. II feel dazed. Surely the
quality of tho fire hath not altered. Can the
principle OF life alert Tell Inc, Kallilrates,
is there aaght wrong with my eyesl SEQ
not clear,n and sho put her hand to her head
and touched her hair-and, oh, horror OF
horrorsl-it all fell off upon the floor, leaving
her utterly bad.
aOh, look loolSl looklr shrielsed Job, in a
shrill falsetto of terror, his eyes nearly drop
ping out Of his head, and foam upon his lips.
aLooki lookl loohl she's shriveling upl she's
turning into monkcyi" and down he fell
upon the floor, foaming and gnashing In fit.
True enough-I faint even as / write 1t in
tho living presence of that terrible recollec-
tion-she was shriveling up; the golden snake
that had encircled her gracious form slipped
over her hips and fell upon the ground;
smaller and smaller she grew; her skin
changed color, and In place OF tho perfect
wilderness of its luster it turned dirty brown
and yellow, like an old piece Of withered
parchment. She felt at her bald head; the
delicate hand was nothing but claw now, a
human talon, like that of badly preserved
Egyptian mummy, and then she seemed to
realize what kind OF change was passing over
her, and she shrieked-ah, she shriekedl-she
rolled upon the floor and shriekedl
Smaller she grew, and smaller yet. till sho
was no larger than she baboon. Now the
skin was puckerod into o million wrinkles,
and OH the shnpeless face was the stamp OF
unutterable age. never saw anything like
It; nobody ever saw anything like the fright
full age that was craven on that fearful coun-
tenance, no bigger now than that Of two
same size, or nearly so, and let all mon pray
to God they never may, II they wish to keep
their reason.
AT last she lay still, or only feebly moving.
She who but two minutes before had gazed
upon us the loveliest, noblest, most splendid
woman tho world had over seen, she lay still
before Us, near the masses Of her own dark
hair, no larger than n big monkey, and
hidoous-ah, too hidcous for words And
vet, think Of this-at that very moment
thought of it-it was the same womanl
She was dying; wo saw IL, and thanked
God-for while sho lived she could feel, and
what must she have feltl She rnised herself
upon her bony bands, and blindly gazcd
around her, swaying her head slowly from
side TO side rs q tortoise does. Sho could not
sec, for her whitish eyes wero covered with q
horny film. Oh, the horrible pathos Of the
sigltl But she could still speak.
"Knllillrates," she said, in husky, trembling
notes. HForget me not, KnllilSrates. Have
pity on my shame; / shall como again, and
shall once more DO beautiful, swear Tit Il
truel Oh--h-h-n and sho fell upon her
face and was still.
On tho very spot where twenty centuries
before she had slain tho old Kalliluates, she
herself fell down and died.
Overcome with tho extremity of horror,
we, too, fell ON tho sandy floor Of that dread
place, and swooned AWAY.
know not how long wo lay thus. Many
hours, suppose. When at last opened my
eyes the other two were still outstretched
upon the floor The rosy light still beemed
Nike celestial dawn, and the thundey whoek
OF tho spirit Of life Stif1ed rolled upon thciI
accustomed track, for as / Hwoko the great
pillar was passing away. There, too, lay thu
hideous little monkey frame, covered with
crinlrled yellow parchment, That onco had
been the gloyious She. Alssl 1t was no hid.
eous dream-it WINS nm awful and unparalleled
factl
What had happened to bring this shocking
change about Had the nature Of the life
giving ffo changedl Did IL perhaps from
-ti,,,e "a tine send forth ~, esss,,s ~ .l4-ti,
t,.nt.o1 ~ ~, on-o,... - lsfoz ~. "A Al.